A 19-year-old student from Ankang City in Shaanxi Province has tested positive for morphine, after a urine test for a recent physical examination revealed he had consumed minute traces of poppy shells.
The college student, surnamed Zhou, together with family and friends, were all equally baffled by the result, claiming there is no way he would have been intentionally taking morphine.
On 28 August 2018, police from the Shi’ai Police Station eliminated any suspicions of the boy having knowingly taken the drug and began to investigate his diet and medications.
Police found out Zhou frequently ate at a restaurant which, upon their arrival, police described as “booming”.
After investigating the noodle shop, police secretly took a sample and confirmed results that the steamed noodle and vinegar soup also contained morphine.
Owner Xu later confessed to obtaining six dried poppy shells and mixing them with the vinegar soup. He has been detained for 15 days.
It is not the first time for such an occurrence in Shaanxi Province. 4 years ago, in the provincial capital of Xi’an, the South China Morning Post reported that a restaurant customer had tested positive during a routine urine test as part of an anti-drink-driving initiative.
